In an email purportedly sent by Samsung to its retail partners, the manufacturer said: "Following the introduction of our new strategy in 2012, we [will] stop the product range in 10.1in (netbook) in Q1 2012 for the benefit of ultraportable products (11.6 and 12 inches) and Ultrabooks to be launched in 2012."

The netbook market has slumped over the past couple of years, in no small part thanks to the arrival of sleek, slim tablets. Larger laptops have slimmed down, but most 10in netbooks remain as chunky as they were when they began appearing in the mid-2000s.

If true, Samsung's news will come as a further blow to Intel's attempt to establish its Atom processor as the chip of choice for low-cost, high-portability PCs.

Intel's Atom processor and chipset business revenues plunged 32 per cent on year to only $269m in Q3 2011. Almost all of the Atoms Intel sells go into netbooks. ®